Secret Service Kicked To The Sidewalk After Negotiations With Trump Organization Fail

A lease dispute between a landlord and a tenant is rarely front-page news. But when the landlord is the Trump Organization, the space in question is at New York City’s Trump Tower and the tenant is the Secret Service, things are a little different.

Because of differences neither side will reveal, the Secret Service has vacated its command post inside Trump Tower, according to a Washington Post report.

The command post, which housed supervisors and resources, had been located one floor below the Trump family’s quarters.

Advertisement - story continues below

In early July, the Secret Service left its station near the top of the landmark skyscraper and relocated its command post to a trailer on the sidewalk.

A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization said Thursday the government and the company agreed on the move.

“After much consideration, it was mutually determined that it would be more cost effective and logistically practical for the Secret Service to lease space elsewhere,” spokeswoman Amanda Miller told The Washington Post.

The reason why remained murky.

Advertisement - story continues below

The New York Times reported that the General Services Administration, which handles contract negotiations for federal agencies, was in talks with the Trump Organization about a lease when things went sour.

The Times said a lease was drawn up, but the Trump Organization’s representatives would not sign it over one clause in the contract. Neither the contents of that clause nor the objections to it were known as of Friday.

The Secret Service indicated its current location might not be permanent.

The agency is working “to obtain permanent work space in an appropriate location,” Secret Service spokeswoman Catherine Milhoan said.

Advertisement - story continues below

“Throughout this process, there has been no impact to the security plan developed by the Secret Service,” he said.

“The space is still in the process of being obtained and a final decision has not been made,” spokeswoman Pamela Dixon wrote in an e-mail to The Post.

President Donald Trump has not been back to Trump Tower since his inauguration. First lady Melania Trump and the couple’s son, Barron, lived there until they moved to Washington in June. However, the Secret Service guards Trump Tower because it is the president’s permanent home.

Advertisement - story continues below

The U.S. military is leasing space at Trump Tower for $130,000 a month, according to The Wall Street Journal. That space houses the White House Military Office.

That unit was leased from Joel Anderson, who owns the space..

“It was a standard lease negotiation, like any other, and had all of the same parts. The only thing that made it difficult it is they’re bureaucratic, and it takes them forever to do anything,” Anderson said. “They’re not bad to deal with, they’re just slow.”